1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ratchet wrench and, more particularly, to a reversible ratchet wrench.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,031 discloses a reversible ratcheting tool comprising a handle, a head on an end of the handle, a drive member, a pawl, a ring, and a reversing plate. A transmission member in the form of a spring is mounted between the reversing plate and the pawl to covert manual pivotal movement of the reversing plate into pivotal movement of the pawl. The ratcheting tool of this design has a smaller head while providing higher torque-bearing capacity. In practice, the transmission member deforms to an excessive extent and, thus, results in unreliable ratcheting-direction switching operation between the drive member and the pawl. As a result, the switching arrangement is liable to get stuck or fails to provide reliable switching. Further, the transmission member fatigues easily due to excessive deformation and/or twist under the action of shear forces from the pawl, the ring, the head, and the reversing plate, leading to malfunction of the ratcheting tool.